RITTMAN, Ohio, Dec. 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 200 employees at Morton Salt's facility in Rittman are being honored this week by the company for achieving a significant safety milestone—more than nine million working hours without a lost-time incident. Due to the Rittman team's efforts, this safety achievement is the first for Morton Salt and the salt industry.

"We truly have more than nine million reasons to celebrate at Morton Salt," said Tim DeClerck, manager of Morton Salt's Rittman facility. "Year after year, the Rittman team has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to health and safety and this important milestone is the direct result of their efforts."

Since 1995, Morton Salt's Rittman facility has maintained its record of zero lost-time incidents by focusing on employee training and programming designed to involve and empower employees to maintain a safe workplace.

Morton's Rittman team is continuing to build on this important milestone by working toward approval into the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)'s Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP). This is a collaborative effort between management, the local labor union and OSHA. Approval into VPP represents OSHA's official recognition of exemplary occupational safety and health achieved by employers and employees.

Morton Salt already participates in VPP at the corporate level, and is just one of seven companies that are recognized as VPP Corporate participants in the United States. The VPP Corporate program is designed for organizations demonstrating a strong commitment to employee safety and health and VPP.

DeClerck added: "Here at Rittman and across the entire company, maintaining a safe workplace is a core company value. What unites us around this core value is our safety credo: Nothing is more important to Morton Salt than health and safety—not production, not sales, not profits. We will continue to live by this credo at Rittman and all across Morton so that we can continue to improve our safety performance and goal of zero injuries in the workplace in the years to come."

Morton Salt has been a part of the Rittman community for more than 100 years. Today, the company continues its salt processing operation in Rittman, where Morton produces a wide variety of culinary and water softening salts.

About Morton Salt

Morton Salt is an American tradition, with roots that date back to 1848. The company has established itself as the trusted authority on salt based on consistent excellence and an evolving product line that continues to pass the test of time. Morton Salt, Inc. is headquartered in Chicago, Ill. and is part of the K+S Group, the world's leading producer of salt and one of the world's leading suppliers of standard and specialty fertilizers. For more information, visit www.mortonsalt.com.